Actor Paul Newman Dead at 83

Legendary actor Paul Newman has died after a long battle with cancer, his publicist confirmed on Saturday. He was 83.

The Oscar winner, star of such classic films as The Color of Money and Cool Hand Luke, passed away on Friday at his Connecticut farmhouse, where he was surrounded by family and friends, according to the Associated Press.

Newman’s health had been the subject of rampant speculation in recent months, after pictures of him appearing frail and wheelchair-bound emerged, as well as reports in August that he was given just weeks to live.

For much of his career, Newman dedicated as much time to off-screen passions–such as racecar driving, directing local theater productions, his food company Newman’s Own (formed with his longtime actress wife Joanne Woodward), and other various charity work–as he did to acting.

Newman’s most recently acted in Pixar’s 2006 animated movie Cars, and his last live-action role was in HBO’s 2005 miniseries Empire Falls, for which he won an Emmy. His last Academy Award nomination was for his performance in 2002’s Road to Perdition.